Politics
Akpabio To Appeal Court Verdict Sacking Him As APC Senatorial Candidate
Akpabio has appealed a court verdict sacking him as the APC senatorial candidate.
Eko Hot Blog reports that a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has resolved to appeal a court order sacking him as the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate in Akwa Ibom north-west.
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The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had on Monday nullified the primary election that produced the former minister as a senatorial candidate.
The appellate court set aside the judgement of the trial court that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish Akpabio’s name as the APC candidate in the senatorial district.
Imo Akpan, a lawyer and chieftain of the APC in Akwa Ibom, confirmed the nullification of the former minister’s election in a Facebook post Monday night.
“The Court of Appeal sitting at Abuja has declared Udom Ekpoudom as the duly elected Senatorial candidate of the APC for the 2023 Senatorial election for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District,” he wrote.
“In a unanimous decision, the Court in its wisdom held that the Senatorial primary held on May 27, 2022 was valid.”
A former deputy inspector-general of police (DIG), Udom Ekpoudom, had won the APC primary for Akwa Ibom north-west senatorial district in May, while the former minister was pursuing a presidential bid.
But the APC leadership, both at the state and national, preferred Akpabio as their candidate, after the former minister “won” another senatorial primary that was hurriedly organised by a faction of the party in the state.
The appeal court panel, therefore, ruled that the former Akwa Ibom governor, who was a presidential aspirant of the APC, could not have participated in the valid primary of the party held on 27 May and monitored by INEC, which produced Ekpoudom as a candidate.
In a statement on Tuesday, Akpabio said that it is imperative to note that he was not joined in the case.
He noted that the Supreme Court would have the final say on the case, while urging his supporters to remain calm and law-abiding.
“Whilst awaiting a copy of the said judgment to be made available to me and any other interested party, it is important to state that I am a lawyer by training and a law abiding citizen of this country and I am bound by our laws and judgements emanating from our courts including the one under reference,” Akpabio said.
“My lawyers on my advice and brief have commenced the scrutiny of the contents of the judgment as read, for purposes of seeking appropriate legal redress.
“I am aware that the supreme court of Nigeria has the final say in these matters.
“I therefore strongly advise my supporters, APC members and all my constituents to remain calm and law abiding, as they continue their campaigns for the successes of the APC in Akwa Ibom north west senatorial district, Akwa Ibom state and Nigeria at large.”
The appeal court judgement, coming a few hours after a Federal High Court, in Uyo, nullified the Akwa Ibom APC governorship primary, stunning members and supporters of the APC in the state.
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The court said the APC governorship candidate, Akanimo Udofia, was not a member of the party, and therefore disqualified him from contesting a fresh governorship primary of the party.
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